MLC School

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MLC School
MLC School crest. Source: www.mlcsyd.nsw.edu.au (MLC website)
Ut Filiae Lucis Ambulate
(Latin:"Walk as Daughters of the Light")
Established 1886
School Type Independent, Single-sex, Day school
Denomination Uniting Church
Key People Mrs. Barbara Stone (Principal), Mr. Russell K Foxe (Chairman), Rev P. Bent and Rev. Naomi Cooke (Chaplain)
School Fees AU$10,932–19,116 p.a[1]
Location Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 33°52′14″S 151°6′5″E / -33.87056, 151.10139Coordinates: 33°52′14″S 151°6′5″E / -33.87056, 151.10139
Enrolment ~1,250 (K–12)[2]
Employees ~146[3]
Colours Navy Blue, Light Blue and Gold             
Homepage www.mlcsyd.nsw.edu.au

MLC School is an independent, non-selective, day school for girls, located in Burwood, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Established in 1886, MLC currently caters for approximately 1,200 students from Kindergarten to Year 12,[2] and is a Uniting Church of Australia school. A Pre-Kinder program will commence in 2009.

MLC is a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (AHIGS),[4] the Alliance of Girls Schools Australia,[5] the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[6] and the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA).[7]


Contents

[edit] History

MLC School opened with 10 students in January, 1886 as Wesleyan Ladies College - five years after women had first gained admission to the University of Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald announced the impending school opening, and wrote of the School "making provision for those who wish to prepare for university honours." The first Principal was Rev Charles J. Prescott.

The school colours and crest were chosen after the opening of the school. The colours - bands of dark blue around a band of pale blue were chosen for Oxford and Cambridge, and the crest comprises the book of learning and the star of knowledge. The school motto was also chosen from the Vulgate, Ut filiae lucis ambulate meaning, "Walk as daughters of the Light". The school song "Here in this house" consists of lyrics by Poet Laureate John Masefield set to music by Australian Composer Lindley Evans.

Campus Building works completed in 1981 added the current Chapel (former dining room), Art and music studios and drama theatre to the school. The music centre was completed for the school Centenary year in 1986. In 2003, the MLC Aquatic Centre, with a 50m swimming pool, diving facilities and a gymnasium, was opened. A new Junior School will open in 2009.

[edit] Principals

Period Details[8]
1886 – ? Rev. Charles J. Prescott
1886 – 1887 Miss E Shiels
1887 – 1909 Miss Minnie Wearne
1909 – 1912 Miss Jessie Hetherington
1912 – 1940 Miss Mabel Sutton
1941 – 1959 Dr Gladys Wade
1960 – 1972 Dr Alice Whitley
1973 – 1989 Rev Kenneth Cornwell
1990 – present Mrs Barbara Stone

[edit] Curriculum

MLC School is registered and accredited with the New South Wales Board of Studies, and therefore follows the mandated curriculum for all years. In Year 10, students are prepared for the School Certificate, and in Year 12, the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

MLC became an IB World School in August 1999, and offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) to all students in year 12[9] as an alternative to the HSC.

[edit] Co-curriculum

[edit] Sport

Primary School students may partake in competitive sport through the MLC's membership of the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA). These competitions are usually held on Saturday mornings and include sports such as: Tee-Ball/Softball, Tennis, Netball, Cricket, Minkey/Hockey, and Soccer.

Secondary School students compete against 28 other similar type schools in the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (IGSSA) competition. These competitions occur on Saturday mornings or in the form of carnivals and include sports such as: Softball, Swimming, Diving, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics, Cross Country, Rowing, Hockey, Soccer, Water Polo, Basketball and Gymnastics.

Students who perform well at JSHAA or IGSSA level may be invited to compete in NSW Combined Independent Schools' (CIS) competitions.

[edit] House system

The house system was established in 1942, with four house's, each Aboriginal words:

  • Mooramoora: "good spirit" (green)
  • Leawarra: "uprising" (violet)
  • Churunga: "sacred place" (gold)
  • Booralee: "an ideal to which we must aspire" (red)

The colours were chosen to combine with the indigo and light blue of the school colours to create white light, to echo the school motto. The names were chosen to spell the school's initials, M.L.C. B (Burwood).

In MLC's high school, there are now ten houses altogether, including four from Kent House. The other six are Abbeythorpe (dark green), Prescott (blue), Wade (aqua), Whitley (maroon), Lester (orange) and Sutton (pink). The six additional houses are named after notable persons that taught at the school. Abbeythorpe House takes its name from one of the original homes on the school site, which was for many years the Junior School until it was demolished.

"Kent House", the Primary school, still utilises the original four houses.

Each House has a Head of House and House Tutors. There is an inter-house competition is a part of every year as Houses vie for Honours in Debating, Chess, Literature, Athletics Cross-Country and Swimming to take out the Spirit and Points Trophies on Speech Night at the end of the year.

[edit] Notable alumnae

Academic
Entertainment, media and the arts
Medicine and science
Politics and the law
Sport

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tuition Fees 2008. Enrolment. MLC School. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.
  2. ^ a b MLC School Facts and Figures 2007 (accessed:08-08-2006)
  3. ^ MLC School Annual Report 2006 (accessed:17-07-2007)
  4. ^ Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools (accessed:08-08-2007)
  5. ^ The Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia: Member Schools (accessed:08-08-2007)
  6. ^ JSHAA New South Wales Directory of Members (accessed:08-08-2007)
  7. ^ Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (accessed:08-08-2007)
  8. ^ Heads of New South Wales Independent Girls' Schools (accessed:23-07-2007)
  9. ^ MLC School. IB World Schools. International Baccalaureate (2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-20.
  10. ^ O'Shaughnessy, Jake (2006-10-19). Sydney student wins NSW Rhodes Scholarship. News. The University of Sydney. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
  11. ^ Anthony, Delyse (1996). Haenke, Helen Joyce (1916 - 1978). Australian Dictionary of Biography 350-351. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
  12. ^ Vickery, Joyce Winifred (1908 - 1979), Australian Dictionary of Biography Online retrieved 2008-04-20
  13. ^ Scollay, Moira (1979). Anderson, Phyllis Margery (1901 - 1957). Australian Dictionary of Biography 61. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
  14. ^ Elmslie, Ronald (1993). Abbie, Andrew Arthur (1905 - 1976). Australian Dictionary of Biography 1-2. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

[edit] External links